Jeremy Ray Taylor – Are You Afraid of the Dark?

By starrymag | November 25, 2019

By: Jamie Steinberg

 

 

Q) What are the recent projects that you are working on?

 

A) Recently, I have been in my creative space working on short films, specifically the production side. Also, I’m doing a lot of stuff at home with family. It’s been a while since I’ve had a little break, so it’s been amazing getting back with family for a little bit and enjoying company.

 

Q) How familiar were you with the original “Are You Afraid of the Dark?”

 

A) I actually didn’t even know it existed. [laughs] As soon as I booked it and told my family, they went nuts because they were huge fans when they were younger. I realized how big of a cult classic it was and was super excited to work on it.

 

Q) What made you want to be a part of the show?

 

A) It seemed like a super fun project! To be a part of Nickelodeon and work on another horror project, especially for more of the kid age group was great. I love comedy so knowing I would get to play the comedic role was a blast.

 

Q) How was your character Graham Raimi originally described to you?

 

A) He was a vintage horror movie LOVER, aspiring composer and big germaphobe.  He was comedic and most say, based on our writer BenDavid Grabinski.

 

Q) Was there anything you added to him that wasn’t in his breakdown?

 

A) You know his little hand sanitizer holster he keeps on his hip? I actually thought that would be really fun to add, you know, to show how serious he is about his germaphobia. The writer and I worked together all the time on lines. He was really generous and let me go off book for a lot of the scenes.  It made me happy to make him laugh.

 

Q) Were you looking forward to working with any of the cast in particular?

 

A) My favorite part of acting is meeting brand new people all the time. I get excited every time I have a new project. Whether it’s crew or cast, I always try and get to know everyone I can.

 

Q) What were some of your favorite scenes to film?

 

A) For the short and easy answer, really anything in the carnival was fun. More specifically, the scenes that were super fun were the water scenes. Getting tackled by a scary clown in dark foggy water doesn’t sound fun, but I had a total blast.

 

Q) Did the kids hang out much off screen? 

 

A) We pretty much had dinner and/or movie night every single night.  We were always together.

 

Q) How did you shake off a long day of filming?

 

A) I can’t believe I’m saying this, but my go to is actually the gym. We would have really late days where we’d be filming to nearly 1 a.m. and it was an hour drive home.  We’d get home around 2 a.m. and then I’d go straight to the gym and workout until about 3:30am.

 

Q) What do you think it is about this new “Are You Afraid of the Dark?” that makes it fit so well with the original?

 

A) The writer, BenDavid Grabinksi, really knows his horror and cult classics! I think while it is all original material, it stayed close to its roots with the overall theme and essence. It’s a brand-new storyline while still keeping the nostalgia of the original.

 

Q) What did it mean to you to be a part of such an iconic series?

 

A) Not going to lie, it was a little nerve-wracking. It’s a lot of pressure re-imagining such an iconic series. But I think we had great actors and great crew. We really enjoyed creating it for the fans.

 

Q) You are a part of social media. Did you enjoy the instant fan feedback you received to the episodes?

 

A) It was really cool to have instant feedback from each episode. Getting to see the comments on YouTube while it was streaming was so cool. There are always those that are hard on us for sure, but I think most everyone was all about it.

 

Q) What would you like to say to everyone who is a fan and supporter of you and your work? 

 

A) Just a giant thank you! The overwhelming support has really been amazing. I’m insanely grateful for all of my fans and their support.  I couldn’t do what I do without the fans.